go@montereyherald.com For many years, I’ve been the poetry teacher at Captain Cooper Elementary School. I’ve gotten to know not only the children but parents and others in the Big Sur community. They are caring, stalwart people who look after each other.

One poetry writing day, shortly after the instability of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge had become evident, 6-year-old Dodge wrote this poem:

My sadness

is the rain

breaking the bridges.

Writing the poem, as for many poets, wasn’t easy. It required Dodge to hang out with his sorrow. But by doing so, he turned out a gem that shines. Sadness and frustration have weighed about as much as the bridge did.

That the highway is unpassable is life-changing for the Big Sur residents. Nepenthe recently had to lay off most of their employees — no customers, no work. Many are experiencing great hardship, from Big Sur service workers who’ve been laid off or lost their jobs to business owners. Families with kids needing to get to Carmel Middle and High School each morning and those people who work in Monterey are facing a particular challenge — how to get where they need to be when they need to be there.

One day, I ran into a Big Sur friend shopping in Monterey, who, immediately after greeting me, burst into tears — it had taken her hours to get to town, having to drive the long way around, over Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.

This resourceful community can’t be deterred though. Despite the threat of a $5,000 fine, trapped residents began crossing through the closed Big Sur State Park or walking on private property in an effort to live their lives. Wouldn’t you?

Based on necessity and through determination, it’s the residents who were at the fore of the creation of the now fully functioning bypass trail. According to volunteer Carissa Chappellet, “Locals and fire brigade members quickly began trying to find the safest, shortest route” to get from south to north and back again. “This group of locals met with the State Park Service to show them the route they had found. Park rangers did further scouting of the area and laid out a route.” Nearly 100 volunteers helped to build trail in short order.

Senator Bill Monning, who was instrumental in securing funding to build the trail, said, “The Pfeiffer Canyon emergency access trail is a testament to the strength of the community and sets a foundation for future emergency relief efforts…The trail was completed ahead of schedule with the support of California State Parks, the California Conservation Corps, the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, the Coastal Property Owners Association, the volunteers of the Big Sur Fire Brigade, and other community members. I am grateful that my office was able to work closely with the Unified Command and state agencies to secure support and funding that assisted in the completion of the trail.”

John DeLuca of State Parks kindly offered to take me on a walk. Since I’m not a Big Sur resident, the only way I could walk the temporary, mile-long emergency Pfeiffer Canyon Trail is with a guide. Heading south, it begins at Big Sur Station as a gentle stroll through the fragrant redwood forest. It begins gently before becoming steep—one quarter mile stretch climbs about 400 feet.

DeLuca told me, “The trail was permitted as an emergency pedestrian trail to allow access to local residents who have been isolated by the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure.”

The trail reminds me of bygone days, long before we enclosed ourselves in private, isolating vehicles, when everyone traveled by foot. It’s the only thoroughfare connecting north and south along the Big Sur coast.

DeLuca said, “It had to be accessible for everyone — kids and older people — for the amount of time we would need it to function. It was not designed as a recreational trail but as a release valve for a community that was trapped.”

One of the positive outcomes of this predicament has been the strengthening of alliances. DeLuca said, “State Parks is doing everything we can to be a part of the community and a partner in the solution. At the end of the day, being able to help is a great thing.”

Though the trail was designed and built with this immediate need at the fore, there is talk about what will happen to it once the new bridge is completed. DeLuca commented, “We’ve entered into conversations about the trail’s potential, future use.”

When asked for his impression of walking the trail, Big Sur photographer Tom Birmingham said, “Don’t forget your keys. Your car is three miles away. Don’t bring more than you need. It’s easy to grab a couple of cases of cat food at Costco, but the kitties only need a couple of cans a day. Bring up eight or a dozen at a time. The trail is teaching me the difference between what I want, and what I need.”

As kids in their free-speaking way will, Captain Cooper students had plenty to say about the trail. Fourth grader Mason groaned, “It’s long. It’s exhausting. But it can be fun because my mom makes up games, like counting our steps, or she times us.”

After our unusual April rainstorms, it became a very different walk, especially for the children. Eight-year-old Daniel said, “It’s hard for the kids because we get tired, and the trail is steep and muddy.” Scarlet, also 8, said, “The trail is slippery. I walk it with my mom and dad. It takes us like 10 minutes.”

Ten minutes? Ah, the advantage of a child’s sense of time! But that’s about how long I imagined the walk would take before I did it, that is.

Just as in the olden days, the trail is not only a way home or to work but a way into greetings and conversation. Old friends who might otherwise rarely have a chance to see each other get reacquainted. By walking along, instead of driving, neighbors do more than wave hello to each other. Kids run together back and forth playing hide-and-seek among the trees. You can’t exactly be in a hurry on this path unless you’re in excellent shape. Despite that I walk a lot, that trail had me huffing and puffing.

Since those of us living along the Central Coast don’t tend to rely on our feet to take us most of the places we have to go, we’ve come to think of nature trails as opportunities for recreation, for the enjoyment of views, and as a place to commune with trees. Not so for this trail. If you don’t live in Big Sur, you’re not going to be able to walk this path because it’s only for residents. They must sign waivers and get permit cards in order to travel it.

John DeLuca told me he’s seen folks with large, heavy coolers requiring two people to carry them; entire families heading home; and young mothers with babies in their arms. In most places, the trail is wide enough for a parent and young child to walk holding hands. The way is through dense green and brown shadowy forest where sunlight occasionally dapples.

Near the top of the trail, I couldn’t help but stop, to catch my breath and to catch the sweeping view of trees nearby and the mountains at a distance, the clouds having momentarily lifted.

On our way back down the hill, sweat having dampened my shirt through, we met the Newell family — parents Leslie and Abraham and teenagers Bella and my former Captain Cooper student Cyrus. Leslie, Abraham and Bella walked with crammed-to-the-brim backpacks and Cyrus’s arms were full. “It’s a good trail,” said Abraham, “if you aren’t carrying anything,” added tired Bella.